Tim Tebow to play at 250 pounds this season … and how can more Tebow be a bad thing?

This seems like good news for its own sake, before we even consider football. Right now, there's more of Tim Tebow in the world than there's ever been. How can that be anything but good? It can't.

Obviously Tebow hasn't reached 249 in the traditional way — via PBR and binge-eating and inactivity — but rather as part of a plan to prepare for his various responsibilities with the Jets in 2012. He discussed his expansion with reporters on Wednesday:

''I feel that I'm just training hard,'' said Tebow, voted by teammates as the second-strongest offensive player behind only tight end Dustin Keller. ''I'm trying to be in shape, be strong enough to do anything, but also fast enough to run around a little bit as well.''

We already know that Tebow will take snaps in the Wildcat this season, and he'll occasionally serve as the up-back on the punt team.

The Jets' plan is to use him in the red zone. They ranked No. 1 in red zone efficiency last season, but they didn't re-sign their top weapon, wide receiver Plaxico Burress. They believe Tebow will add a different dimension to their power-running attack, especially on a short field.

You'll recall that Mark Sanchez rushed for six TDs last season (the key to his fantasy value), all from short range. Sanchez actually finished with as many rushing scores as Shonn Greene, New York's plodding, run-to-contact lead back.

At the moment, Tebow outweighs both Sanchez and Greene by 20-plus pounds, and presumably he can still do stuff like this. Sure, Tebow has some trouble orchestrating long drives that result in red zone possessions, but he's a monster when he gets near the goal line. It sounds like he'll get plenty of chances to break the plane this season. It also sounds like fantasy owners should feel less enthusiastic about drafting Sanchez and Greene, if that's possible.

As we've mentioned before, the Jets have a killer schedule early in the season. They'll face Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Houston within the first five weeks, defenses that ranked first, fourth and second in the NFL in yards-allowed last year. If New York gets off to a poor start — think 1-4 or 2-3 — then Tebow could emerge as something more than a situational QB.